The signature concept for the September Café in Vietnam is a free-flowing aesthetic, created primarily by the curves that dissolve the boundaries between the interior and exterior. The spectacular yet sensitive and site-specific building cocoons visitors in its soft, continuous curves.

September Café in Vietnam
The façade is devised from the concept of a bird’s nest.
Curves in design
Curves in design create a feeling of freedom and openness.
Vietnam coffee shop in Ho Chi Minh City
The building site-specific design elevates its surroundings.
Vietnam Coffee Shop architecture

Naturalistic patterns are a constant source of inspiration for architectural and engineering designs. These biomorphic designs mimic the structure of organisms, and use patterns of scale and proportion that are prevalent in nature. We respond instinctively to these architectural elements with a sense of well-being, comfort, and vitality that is similar to what we experience in natural environments.

The September Café manifests a naturalistic pattern with an abundance of curves and contrasts within its shape. Steel strips weave through the façade to delineate the branches of a bird’s nest, intertwining the building’s outdoor and indoor spaces.

Vietnam Coffee Shop architecture
The furniture draws on branches and bird’s nests.
Circular openings fill the interior with natural light.
Warm and neutral colors enhance the feeling of lightness in the architecture.
The outdoor area provides a garden for visitors.
Curves in the ceilings, stairs, walls, and furniture details evoke a flowing breeze.
Hidden lighting makes the building’s curves glow at night.

With the September Café, there is something exuberant at play that cannot be easily defined. Despite its unusual design, it elicits a feeling of comfort and familiarity. The flowing aesthetic nevertheless manifests a resolute presence. The designers drew on forms in nature that are universally well-known: birds and branches that move with the wind. However, it isn’t necessary to perceive this consciously in order to appreciate the building’s intrinsic beauty. The September Café demonstrates the values of designs that connect us to the natural environment: originality, sensuality, and joyousness.

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